Industrial gases such as sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF4) are the most potent greenhouse gases in the air.

SF6 is 23,000 times more potent, weight for weight, than CO2, whereas CF4 endures in the atmosphere for about 50,000 years.

SF6 is primarily used in the electrical industry, while CF4 is related to electronics and aluminium manufacture.

Yet according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), these industrial gases contribute only about 1% of the man-made greenhouse effect.

Professor Weiss's research – and that from other groups – suggests their contribution may have been underestimated.

Biochar brings benefits to soils, boosting plant growth

Green guru James Lovelock claims that the only hope of mitigating catastrophic climate change is through biochar – biomass “cooked” by pyrolysis.

It produces gas for energy generation, and charcoal – a stable form of carbon.

The charcoal is then buried in the ground, making the process “carbon negative”. BBC Source

James Lovelock is one of the leading figures in the global environmental movement and is famed for his Gaia Hypothesis.  He is also hated by some for supporting nuclear energy as a measure mitigating climate change.